7 NFT projects in 2022 that were a hit with collectors

NFTs, short for non-fungible tokens, made headlines when American artist Beeple’s work, Weekdays: The first 5,000 dayswas sold for $69 million in March 2021. With such exorbitant amounts spent on digital assets, the most popular NFT projects have lured more people to invest in the metaverse, which is exactly what happened in 2022.

Today, several NFT projects are launched every day. From world-renowned singers to movie stars and public figures, everyone is investing in digital assets and showcasing them on social media, leading to an exponential increase in NFT sales.

Here are 7 top NFT projects from 2022:

CryptoPunks

CryptoPunks was one of the first non-fungible token projects on Ethereum. Launched in 2017 by Larva Labs, they were algorithmically generated and have a collection of 10,000 unique collectible tokens. The company partnered with two Canadian software developers to create this collection.

The characters in this NFT project look like a pixelated version of punks that can be bought, sold or bid on. The collection includes punks, which are the most common form. There are a further 88 zombie punks, 24 monkey punks and nine alien punks in the collection.

These punks come in special background colors that enable buyers to know about the status of the digital asset. A red background indicates that it is for sale, while those with a purple background mean that bidding is ongoing for the character. But if the background color is blue, the punk is not for sale.

The CryptoPunk that sold for the highest price was an alien avatar worth US$7.58 million.

American rappers Jay-Z and Snoop Dog, along with tennis player Serena Williams, are some of the famous CryptoPunk NFT holders.

Bored Ape Yacht Club

One of the most famous NFT projects is Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), which would surely gain more interest in 2022. Some famous names that have invested in BAYC include talk show host Jimmy Fallon, musician Future, music producer DJ DJ Khaled and YouTuber Logan Paul . The latest celebrity to join the bandwagon is American rapper Eminem, who currently owns a digital art likeness of him. He also uses it as his Twitter profile picture.

Created by Yuga Labs, BAYC features animated monkeys that have varied traits and rarities and inhibits the Ethereum blockchain. The NFT project has a collection of 10,000 unique Bored Apes.

Launched in April 2021, their prices have skyrocketed in a matter of months, making this collection one of the fastest-appreciating collectibles in the industry. Holders of these NFTs receive a Yacht Club membership card, which has many benefits, including invitations to private concerts in the digital world.

The highest price that a BAYC NFT has been auctioned for is 769 ETH or 2.3 million USD.

Mutant Ape Yacht Club

Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) is a unique collection of apes created as a separate project by the creators of BAYC.

MAYC was released in August 2021. There were 10,000 mutant monkeys in the collection, which sold instantly for $96 million. But this was not where the “mutation” stopped.

In accordance CoinGekoMAYC can be created by using a “vial of mutant serum or by stamping a mutant monkey in the public sale.”

What this means is that the BAYC creators added a unique system that not only greatly benefited holders of the original Bored Ape NFTs, but also elevated the popularity of Mutant Apes.

They introduced a new NFT, known as “Serum”. Holders of the Bored Ape cards can add “Serum”, of which three types are available, including mega mutant serum, to their ‘monkeys’ and convert them into mutant monkeys.

This meant that all 10,000 chained monkeys could be turned into an equal number of mutant monkeys. In addition to the mutants already released, the total number of NFTs in the Mutant Apes collection thus reached 20,000.

MAYC NFTs are somewhat inexpensive compared to the Bored Apes currently being hoarded by celebrities and venture capitalists alike.

A mutant monkey can cost around $32,600. Some celebrities who own Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFTs include American rapper Lil Baby, actor Drake Bell, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, and Ethereum founder Taylor Gerring, whose mutant monkey was created after exposing a Bored Ape to a megamutant serum.

Axie Infinity

Another top NFT project to know from 2022 is the game Axie Infinity. It is a game to earn blockchain game. The game set in the metaverse was originally launched in May 2018 and has gained a lot of popularity over the past year.

The official website explains the game as a “universe filled with fascinating creatures, known as Axies, that players can collect as pets.”

It further states, “Players aim to fight, breed, collect, raise and build kingdoms for their axes. The universe has a player-owned economy where players can truly own, buy, sell and trade resources they earn in-game through skillful play and contributions to the ecosystem.”

The most expensive Axie ever sold was for $820,000 and the game has 2,800,000 daily active players, the website says.

Cool cats

Another collection in the NFT space that has made headlines is Cool Cats, and it exists on the Ethereum blockchain. It was launched in June 2021 and consists of 9,999 unique characters that are based on a blue cat animation. But what makes each of these characters unique is the combination of the varying facial expressions, characteristics and outfits.

One of the coolest things about this NFT is that the developer can breed the characters for a future generation. To date, the highest bid ever placed for a zombie cool cat was auctioned for US$3.5 million. These NFTs can only be used as art until now, and their owners can be part of various events and community gifts.

Mike Tyson is one of the few celebrities to own Cool Cat’s NFTs.

Decentralized country

Launched in July 2020, Decentraland is one of the newest projects among NFTs.

The top of the Ethereum blockchain, Decentraland allows the user to enter the virtual reality world where they can buy land, build homes and create avatars. Not only that, owners can even trade the digital collectibles they create.

Buying land here can cost you a lot. According to a report from Business Insider, Plots were sold for USD 15.53 million in Decentraland in November 2021.

Paris Hilton is among the celebrities associated with Decentraland.

Meebits

Larva Labs created Meebits in May 2021. Following a similar vibe to CryptoPunks, Meebits is a pixelated 3D avatar that can be used in the virtual world. The NFT collection consists of 20,000 unique characters that can be reproduced. Their prices can go up to 100s of ETHs depending on the rarity of the characters. However, the average price of an NFT is around $14,700.

Hong Kong actor and singer Shawn Yue Man-lok is a Meebits investor. Crypto Twitter influencer Soby is also among other celebrities who have quite a few Meebits in their possession.

(Main images and featured images: The Lunacian/Axie Infinity/axie.substack.com)